The invention concerns an apparatus for monitoring and controlling a combination of a main device and at least one auxiliary device, the main device having a stop button, at least one drive motor, and a plurality of safety switches, and an electrical control circuit being installed in the main device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,458 describes a copier that is connected to a sorting unit as an auxiliary device. The copier monitors the energy to the sorting unit. If the sorting unit should be disconnected from line power, the sheets are transported out of the copier in such a way that they do not enter the sorting unit. Provided in both the copier and the sorting unit are electrical circuits which monitor the operation of the copier and the sorting unit. The two circuits are interconnected via corresponding lines. The sorting unit has door switches which interrupt power to the sorting unit when a door is open. The circuit in the sorting unit communicates to the input of the circuit in the copying unit that power to the sorting unit has been interrupted. The circuit in the copying unit actuates corresponding means so that the sheets being processed are transported into a non-sort tray that is not located in the sorting unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,137 discloses an interface for a copying system that consists of a copy machine and one or more peripheral devices. The CPU of the copy machine is connected to the peripheral devices with two lines (L.sub.1 and L.sub.2). L.sub.1 connects the output of the CPU of the copy machine to the input of the CPU of the peripheral devices, and conversely the outputs of the CPUs of the peripheral devices are connected via line L.sub.2 to the input of the CPU of the copy machine. The interface is used to monitor and control the peripheral devices. Data are interchanged between the copy machine and the peripheral devices in accordance with a specific data format. The data are composed of an address block, a data block, and a check block. It is evident that because of the defined data format, peripheral devices, including possibly those of other manufacturers, must be adapted to the language or data format of the CPU of the copier.